America's Cup | yacht race and trophy | Britannica.com yacht race and trophy Alternative Title: Hundred Guinea Cup Related Topics Rugby Union World Cup America’s Cup, one of the oldest and best-known trophies in international sailing yacht competition. It was first offered as the Hundred Guinea Cup on August 20, 1851, by the Royal Yacht Squadron of Great Britain for a race around the Isle of Wight . The cup was won by the America , a 100-foot (30-metre) schooner from New York City , and subsequently became known as the America’s Cup. The American winners of the cup donated it to the New York Yacht Club in 1857 for a perpetual international challenge competition. In 1987 the San Diego Yacht Club took control of the U.S. competition. Since the 1920s the America’s Cup race has been between one defending vessel and one challenging vessel, both of which are determined in separate series of elimination trials. Each competing vessel must be designed, built, and, insofar as possible, outfitted solely in the country that it represents. The original terms of the America’s Cup donation imposed many disadvantages on challenging yachts.

Not until 1956 was a clause eliminated that required a challenger to sail on its own bottom to the scene of the contest, forcing a heavier style of construction than that of the defender. Until 1995, the America’s Cup competition was a best four of seven races; from that year until 2007 it required five of nine races to win. From 1958 to 1987 each race was run over a six-leg 24-mile (39-kilometre) course by yachts of the so-called 12-metre class. (No measurement on the 12-metre yacht was actually 12 metres. The “12” was a result of a complicated mathematical formula used in the yacht’s construction.) The yacht Alinghi (Switzerland) leading New … Jose Jordan—AFP/Getty Images In 1983, after American yachts (sponsored by the New York Yacht Club) had successfully defended the cup 24 times without a loss since the first defense in 1870, the Australian yacht Australia II won the cup.

In the next race, in 1987, the Americans (now from San Diego) regained the cup. The controversial race of 1988, between the winning American 60-foot (18-metre) catamaran and a New Zealander 132-foot (40-metre) monohull, had to be decided in the courts and provoked a redefinition of the rules governing future races. For 1992, a new and faster yacht was designated as the International America’s Cup Class (IACC)—75 feet (23 m) in overall length—to race over an eight-leg 22.6-mile (36.4-kilometre) course. The 1995 event was run over a six-leg, 18.55-nautical-mile (34.4-kilometre) course. It was won by the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron, only the second victory by a non-American challenger in the history of the competition.

The skipper of the New Zealand victory in 1995 was Russell Coutts , who also led New Zealand to a win in 2000; Coutts, skippering for a Swiss team, won a third consecutive victory in 2003. In 2007 the Swiss team, with Brad Butterworth as skipper, defended its title. An American team owned by businessman Larry Ellison , Oracle Team USA, recaptured the Cup in 2010 in a two-race competition that was delayed by numerous court battles. In 2013 the U.S. had one of the most-dramatic comebacks in sporting history: the American team (captained by Jimmy Spithill and racing in a newly designed 72-foot [22-metre] catamaran) was trailing New Zealand 8–1 in a best-of-17 series and then won the remaining eight races for the most-unexpected America’s Cup victory of all time. See also yacht . Oracle Team USA (left) and Team New Zealand (right) sailing past Alcatraz Island in San Francisco … John G.

Mabanglo—EPA/Alamy America’s Cup - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up) The most prestigious international yachting competition is the America’s Cup race. The cup is a trophy that was first offered as the Hundred Guinea Cup in 1851 by the Royal Yacht Squadron of Great Britain for a race around the Isle of Wight. That year the cup was won by the America, a 100-foot (30-meter) schooner from New York City, and the trophy and race subsequently became known as the America’s Cup. In 1857 the winners of that first race donated the trophy to the New York Yacht Club to establish an ongoing sailing competition between countries. The United States long dominated the America’s Cup race, but today the competition is more evenly matched. Article History HISTORY OF THE AMERICA'S CUP - 35th America's Cup HISTORY OF THE AMERICA'S CUP A Brief History of The America's Cup First contested in 1851, the America’s Cup is the oldest trophy in international sport, predating the modern Olympic Games by 45 years, and is yachting’s biggest prize.

The trophy’s roots date back to when a syndicate of businessmen from New York sailed the schooner America across the Atlantic Ocean to represent the United States at the World’s Fair in England. The schooner won a race around the Isle of Wight and, with it, a trophy called the £100 Cup. (It was subsequently inscribed, incorrectly, as the 100 Guineas Cup.) Poster advertising the £100 Cup - an invitational race around the Isle of Wight off the South Coast of England. The yacht America beat the best of the British fleet to win the sterling silver trophy that would become the America’s Cup (named after the yacht, not the country) After winning the trophy, the United States embarked on what would become the longest winning streak in the history of sport, a 132-year stretch of domination that saw boats representing the country successfully defend the trophy 24 times from 1870 through 1980—until 1983, when Australia II became the first successful challenger to lift the trophy.

Throughout its history, the America’s Cup has bedazzled a worldwide roster of business and industry tycoons such as Oracle’s Larry Ellison, brewing and real estate mogul Alan Bond, tea merchant Sir Thomas Lipton, aviation pioneer Sir T.O.M. Sopwith, the Aga Khan, media mogul Ted Turner, and Harold S. Vanderbilt, an American railroad executive who won the America’s Cup three times and also helped author the original racing rules of sailing. The yacht America beat the best of the British fleet to win the sterling silver trophy that would become the America’s Cup (named after the yacht, not the country). It’s also attracted larger-than-life sailing figures such as Tom Blackaller, Peter Blake, Paul Cayard, Dennis Conner, and Russell Coutts. Now, a new generation of sailing superstars have taken up the challenge, like Britain’s Ben Ainslie and Iain Percy, and Australians Jimmy Spithill, Tom Slingsby and Nathan Outteridge, along with Kiwis Dean Barker, Peter Burling and Blair Tuke, and French superstar Franck Cammas The Whole Story 1.

IN THE BEGINNING In 1851 a radical looking schooner ghosted out of the afternoon mist and swiftly sailed past the Royal Yacht stationed in the Solent, between the Isle of Wight and the south coast of England, on an afternoon when Queen Victoria was watching a sailing race. As the schooner, named America, passed the Royal Yacht in first position, and saluted by dipping its ensign three times, Queen Victoria asked one of her attendants to tell her who was in second place.”Your Majesty, there is no second,” came the reply. That phrase, just four words, is still the best description of the America’s Cup, and how it represents the singular pursuit of excellence. Her Majesty Queen Victoria congratulates John Cox Stevens, Commodore of the New York Yacht Club, aboard the yacht America, winner of the £100 Cup. That day in August, 1851, the yacht America, representing the young New York Yacht Club, would go on to beat the best the British could offer and win the Royal Yacht Squadron’s 100 Pound Cup.

This was more than a simple boat race however, as it symbolised a great victory for the new world over the old, a triumph that unseated Great Britain as the world’s undisputed maritime power. The trophy would go to the young democracy of the United States and it would be well over 100 years before it was taken away from New York. Shortly after America won the 100 Guinea Cup in 1851, New York Yacht Club Commodore John Cox Stevens and the rest of his ownership syndicate sold the celebrated schooner and returned home to New York as heroes. They donated the trophy to the New York Yacht Club under a Deed of Gift, which stated that the trophy was to be “a perpetual challenge cup for friendly competition between nations.” Thus was born the America’s Cup, named after the winning schooner America, as opposed to the country. The America’s Cup is without a doubt the most difficult trophy in sport to win.

In the more than 150 years since that first race off England, only four nations have won what is often called the “oldest trophy in international sport.” For some perspective, consider that there had been nine contests for the America’s Cup before the first modern Olympic Games were held in Athens in 1896. 2. EARLY CHALLENGES The very first challenge would come from Englishman James Ashbury, who raced against a fleet from the New York Yacht Club just off Staten Island in 1870. After much dispute over the conditions for racing, Ashbury’s Cambria finished tenth in the 17-boat fleet, prompting a second challenge the following year. The 1871 America’s Cup match was a precursor for many of the legal battles that would engulf the Cup over the next 100 years. After reportedly consulting his lawyers, Ashbury insisted on racing against just one boat, not an entire fleet and protested both the scoring of the races and the Race Committee who set the race course. In the end he limped home complaining bitterly about poor sportsmanship on the part of the Americans and insisting he had actually won the America’s Cup, to no avail.

The next two Challenges came from Canada, but the northerners were no match for the Americans and were soundly beaten. 3. LIPTON ERA There were a further six challenges before the turn of the Century, including the first of what came to be called the Lipton era of the America’s Cup. Sir Thomas Lipton, the Irish/Scottish tea baron challenged five times between 1899 and 1930. He became the loveable loser; a man whose good-natured approach to the obstacles stacked against him turned him into a folk hero and promoted his business interests in America as well. © The Edwin Levick Collection, Mariners' Museum Sir Thomas Lipton. The son of a grocer, Lipton went on to be well known for his involvement in the purchase of tea plantations in Ceylon. Lipton challenged for the America's Cup five times in succession between 1899 and 1930 with his boats "Shamrock'. While Lipton didn’t win the America’s Cup, he became one of the first to introduce the idea of sports sponsorship, and he realised a financial windfall from it.

Lipton’s final challenge in 1930 was the first in the new J-Class boats. This was a period of magnificent beauty afloat, as the towering masts carrying an improbable amount of sail powered through the chop off Newport, Rhode Island. Harold Vanderbilt was selected to defend for the New York Yacht Club that year and did so with ease. 4. POST WAR The Second World War marked the end of the J-Class, and when America’s Cup racing began again in 1958, it signaled the beginning of the 12-Metre era. The Americans would successfully defend eight more times over the next 25-year period. Sadly, in 1939, all but three of the original ten J’s were used as scrap metal for the war effort. The three surviving J-Class yachts have been restored and still sail in regattas around the world. 5. CHALLENGER SERIES In 1970, more than one yacht club interested in challenging for the America’s Cup, so for the first time, a competition was staged to determine the single Challenger that would face the Defender, the New York Yacht Club.

The French malletier Louis Vuitton became involved with the America’s Cup in 1983, supporting the Challenger Selection Series that came to be known as the Louis Vuitton Cup. The idea was twofold; to develop and identify the strongest possible challenger for the America’s Cup and ensure that they were sufficiently battle-tested through tough competition to beat the Defender. The defenders had been involved in this type of selection series for most of the century, but until recently, there had been but one Challenger. 6. THE CUP LEAVES AMERICA Australia was one of the challenging countries in 1983, and the ‘Men from Down Under’ brought a secret weapon. Australia II sported a boxing Kangaroo flag in the rigging as she was towed out to sea, and under the water, a radically-designed winged keel that gave the 12-Metre Class boat superior speed under most conditions. The Australians kept the secret to themselves, draping large ‘modesty skirts’ from the deck to the ground when the boat was hauled from the water – keeping prying eyes away and all the time building speculation as to what could be under there. Dennis Conner, ‘Mr.

America’s Cup’, was charged with defending against the upstart Australians, who handily whipped through the challenger fleet and carried off the first Louis Vuitton Cup. That summer, in 1983, the America’s Cup had pride of place on every newscast, and front-page status in every paper. There was a sense of history about that season; that somehow, finally, the New York Yacht Club’s 132-year winning streak was going to come to an end. Equipment problems on the Australian boat allowed Conner to jump ahead early in the best of seven series, but Australian skipper John Bertrand battled back, eventually bringing the series to a score line of 3-3. The seventh and final race was symbolic of the entire series, with Conner’s Liberty leading for most of the course in a light and shifty breeze. It was not until the final spinnaker run that Australia II was able to jump into the lead, and then hold on to it despite a ferocious, last-gasp assault over the last few minutes. For the first time in 132 years, the America’s Cup was leaving the New York Yacht Club. Dennis Conner, also known as Mr.

America’s Cup. Conner won the America’s Cup in 1980, 1987, and 1988, but is perhaps best known as the first American skipper to lose the Cup, in 1983, to Australia. Conner, then representing the San Diego Yacht Club, won the right to fight another day in 1987. Held in Fremantle, he won the Louis Vuitton Cup to become the Challenger and then delivered a shut-out victory of 4-0. This America’s Cup featured quite an on-the-water show, with the famous “Fremantle Doctor,” strong afternoon sea-breezes, blowing up incredible sailing conditions with giant white-capped seas, to challenge both the sailors and equipment. 7. BACK TO AMERICA Dennis Conner, basking in presidential welcomes and ticker-tape parades through New York, was in no rush to settle the details of the next event, and New Zealand, exploiting a loophole in the century old Deed of Gift, demanded an immediate challenge in 1988.

What resulted was the first America’s Cup Finals where two different styles of boat raced each other, with the Kiwis in a giant 90-foot waterline boat against Conner in a much smaller but faster hard-winged catamaran. The best of three series went to the Americans and after numerous court challenges – the teams spent far more time battling in a courtroom than they did on the water – the result stood. 8. AMERICA’S CUP CLASS A good thing to come of the entire 1988 fiasco was a new class of boat that featured a more modern design that could perform well in the lighter winds of San Diego; the America’s Cup Class, a type of boat built to a design rule. Under the rule, all boats must look similar, although the designers had enough leeway to make an impact on boat speed. Progress is always made from one generation to the next. In 1992, two American teams sought the right to defend the United States through a Defender series, where Dennis Conner was beaten and lost the right to defend to American billionaire Bill Koch with his massive, four-boat America programme.

On the challenger side, New Zealand met the Italian Il Moro de Venezia Challenge, eventually yielding to relentless pressure from the Italians and their skipper Paul Cayard. In the concluding battle for the 29th America’s Cup, Koch, occasionally steering the boat himself, and his skipper Buddy Melges, successfully defended the America’s Cup. 9. THE KIWIS 1995 would be the year of the Kiwi. Led by the fierce determination of Sir Peter Blake and with the steady hand of Russell Coutts on the wheel, New Zealand’s Black Magic dominated the challengers in San Diego, and went on to make short work of the Dennis Conner / Paul Cayard defense partnership, taking the America’s Cup back to the Southern Hemisphere. Sir Peter Blake’s crew declared there would be no defender selection series, and Team New Zealand focused on in-house training, taking advantage of a deep pool of young talent to push Coutts to the limit in training. At the same time, the Louis Vuitton Cup in 2000 featured what has been described as perhaps the best two weeks of racing in the history of the America’s Cup.

Italy’s Prada Challenge outlasted Paul Cayard’s AmericaOne, winning the best of nine series 5-4. Not only was the series close, but many of the races were sailed with the boats just metres apart, the lead changing hands over and over again. But Prada’s Luna Rossa, although battle-hardened, was no match for Team New Zealand. Skipper Russell Coutts staked the Kiwis to a quick 4-0 lead – equaling the record for most consecutive America’s Cup wins set by Charlie Barr 100 years earlier – before handing the wheel to understudy Dean Barker who promptly became the youngest skipper at 26-years old to win the America’s Cup. Team New Zealand looked to be so far ahead of the challengers that the America’s Cup appeared to be secure in the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron for a long time to come. But shortly after the win, Russell Coutts and many of his Team New Zealand stalwarts announced they were leaving to join a new team that had to be built from the ground up for Swiss Bio-Tech entrepreneur Ernesto Bertarelli.

Within months, in a scene reminiscent of an earlier era, many of the world’s most successful men announced they were coming to stake their claim on the Cup. Backed by Patrizio Bertelli of the Prada fashion house, the Italians would be back, as would three strong American challenges, including teams backed by Oracle software guru Larry Ellison, and a Pacific Northwest team led by Craig McCaw and Paul Allen. Joining them were teams from France, Italy, Sweden, and for the first time in 16 years, Great Britain, making another run at regaining that which they lost 151 years earlier. © Moet & Chandon/Franck Socha Russell Coutts and Dean Barker celebrate winning the America’s Cup in February 2000 with Team New Zealand. Coutts, the skipper, steered the team to a 4-0 lead before handing the helm to his understudy, Barker, for the final, deciding race. After four months of Round Robin and elimination rounds, the Louis Vuitton Cup Challenger Series came down to a nine-race Final between Ernesto Bertarelli’s Team Alinghi and Larry Ellison’s BMW ORACLE Racing team.

Both teams arrived at the Finals with impressive records in the previous rounds, and the racing showed these two teams were evenly matched. Although the record was a 5-1 series win for Alinghi, the numbers belied how close the racing actually was. The battle to the win the Louis Vuitton Cup created a very strong Challenger, and set up a much-anticipated America’s Cup Match between Coutts and his old Team New Zealand understudy Dean Barker. Unfortunately for the Kiwis, Team New Zealand appeared ill prepared, and was no match for Alinghi. Serious equipment problems and some poor race tactics allowed Alinghi to sweep the Match 5-0, and take the America’s Cup to Europe for the first time. 10. TO EUROPE Shortly after winning the America’s Cup, the Société Nautique de Genève (SNG) accepted a challenge from the Golden Gate Yacht Club, putting the wheels in motion for the 32nd America’s Cup. A new Protocol was issued, detailing the plans for the next event and outlining some of the changes. It was immediately clear that the move to Europe would mean a sea change for the America’s Cup.

Taking advantage of what some perceived to be a problem for the new Defender, the SNG announced that it would take its time to decide upon a venue, drafting up a selection criteria that would ensure reliable sailing conditions. The nationality rules were abolished, freeing up teams to sign the best people regardless of their passport, and rules on the transfer of technology from prior syndicates were eased to enable new teams access to old information. Most importantly, a new organising authority, AC Management, was created and charged with the task of overseeing all aspects of the 32nd America’s Cup including the Challenger Selection Series. In short, a new era of the America’s Cup had dawned. The 32nd America’s Cup in Valencia, Spain was a success on many levels. By bidding out the city, the organising authority was able to raise revenue on a scale previously unimagined. A four-year programme of racing took America’s Cup racing to other European venues, drumming up interest in the event. And teams from new territories, like South Africa and China, added to the international flavour of the racing. Emirates Team New Zealand, rejuvenated behind the leadership of Grant Dalton, won the Louis Vuitton Cup to set up a rematch against Alinghi.

But although the Kiwis won a couple of races and lost another by just one second, the Swiss Defender proved to be too strong and retained the title. 11. MULTIHULL BATTLE Shortly after successfully defending the Cup, SNG announced it had accepted a challenge from a newly formed yacht club, the Spanish CNEV, and released a Protocol for the 33rd America’s Cup. Many in the America’s Cup community balked at the terms in the Protocol and BMW ORACLE Racing, with Larry Ellison leading the charge, challenged the validity of the new Spanish club. The courts agreed and GGYC became the challenger of record. When GGYC and SNG were unable to mutually consent on a new Protocol, the 33rd America’s Cup became a ‘Deed of Gift’ Match, as in 1988. There were numerous court challenges, initiated by both sides. In the end, both teams having learned the lesson of 1988, built enormous multihulls. Then, just months before the race, BMW ORACLE Racing replaced its soft sail rig with a towering wing sail – the largest wing ever built.

When the boats finally lined up to race off Valencia in February 2010, the BMW ORACLE Racing trimaran with its powerful wing sail proved to be superior. Skipper James Spithill, just 30 years old, won with a record of 2-0. Once again, the America’s Cup would be defended by an American Team in the 34th edition. 12. THE COMEBACK The speed, the thrill and the challenge of building multihulls proved irresistible and ORACLE TEAM USA elected to make the AC72, a catamaran powered by a towering wingsail, the class for the 34th America’s Cup. The venue would be the iconic San Francisco Bay, where late summer winds were predictable and strong. Emirates Team New Zealand was among three challengers (along with Artemis Racing and Luna Rossa Challenge) lined up to battle ORACLE TEAM USA. The Kiwis found enough wiggle room in the design rule to get the AC72 up and out of the water, foiling, and soon all the teams were flying above the water at speeds over 40 knots.

The boats were without risk however, and ORACLE TEAM USA capsized during training on San Francisco Bay, all but destroying one of their boats and setting their program back by months. More tragically, Artemis Racing also had a training accident and crew member Andrew ‘Bart’ Simpson perished when he became trapped under the capsized boat. His memory lives on through the Andrew Simpson Sailing Foundation, a charity devoted to youth sailing projects. With new safety regulations developed following the accident, racing started in the challenger series, where Team New Zealand made short work of Artemis Racing and Luna Rossa Challenge. The Kiwis then jumped out to an impressive lead in the America’s Cup Match over ORACLE TEAM USA, who couldn’t match the New Zealander’s upwind speed. After making a critical crew change, bringing on Ben Ainslie for John Kostecki, and making continual modifications to their boat and sailing techniques, the Americans were getting faster, but were running out of time. Team New Zealand reached match point, building an 8-1 lead. But improbably, ORACLE TEAM USA turned the tide and began to win races. The gap narrowed and then disappeared.

Now it was ORACLE TEAM USA who were faster and the score was tied, 8-8. There would be one last race; the winner would claim the Cup. The final race was a microcosm of the match itself. Emirates Team New Zealand had an early lead, but couldn’t fend off the superior speed of the American boat. ORACLE TEAM USA sailed into history, completing the greatest comeback in sport, taking the closest match in America’s Cup history, 9-8. © Abner Kingman Sailing Newport RI | America's Cup History | 12 Meter Charters History of the America’s Cup Races The America’s Cup – the most famous sailboat race! America’s Race: Competition for the America’s Cup, the oldest and one of the most prestigious sporting trophies in the world, began in England in 1851. The newly founded New York Yacht Club was challenged by the Royal Yacht Squadron, then the most prestigious yacht club in the world, to take part in The Solent Races, sailing races that took place on the body of water between the Isle of Wight and Great Britain.

Answering this challenge, the New York Yacht Club assembled a team to cross the Atlantic and race with their contender, the yacht America. The schooner America was designed and built by George Steers in 1850 at the urging of the New York Yacht Club to build a fast sailboat. Of all the races held on The Solent, the Royal Yacht Squadron decided that America was only eligible for the “All Nations Race”, a 74 mile race around the Isle of Wight starting and ending in Cowes. The prize for the winner of this race was the 100 Guineas Cup, an award commemorating Queen Victoria’s Jubilee year. When the starting gun was fired at ten in the morning on August 22, 1851, the America was the last over the starting line. However, in the end the speedy America stunned the British fleet and crossed the finish line 19 minutes ahead of all 15 of her British competitors thus winning the 100 Guineas Cup. The schooner America brought its prize across the Atlantic, and the New York Yacht Club renamed it “The America’s Cup” after the winning boat.

The America’s Cup in Newport, Rhode Island: In 1930, J boats raced in the first America’s Cup races that were held in Newport, RI. During this era the races were held at the mouth of Narragansett Bay off Breton Reef in the Atlantic Ocean. From 1930 to 1937, the America’s Cup the course was 30 miles long. In 1958, when the era of the 12 Meters began the course was shortened to just over 24 miles. For over 50 years Newport proved to be a perfect venue for the America’s Cup because of its light and predictable winds and small volume of commercial traffic. The America’s Cup Deed of Gift: On July 8, 1857, the members of the original America race syndicate, the first team to win the America’s Cup, wrote a letter, known as The Deed of Gift, to the secretary of the New York Yacht Club. This letter was written to formalize the rules of future America’s Cup racing. Originally it stated that the America’s Cup would be held as a permanent challenge trophy that would be open to competition from any foreign yacht club.

It also stated that the races would be held on the waters of the yacht club in possession of the America’s Cup and all competitors had to sail to the race destination on their own bottoms. In other words, the boats could not be disassembled and shipped to the spot where the America’s Cup races were to occur. Subsequent changes were made to the Deed of Gift changing the racing rules of the America’s Cup. Because of the original rule that stated that all competitors had to sail to the race destination on their own bottoms, America’s Cup racing boats had to be large vessels that were capable of crossing the Atlantic Ocean. It took massive amounts of money to maintain and crew the large cutters of the 1880’s-1920’s and the J Class boats of the 1930’s. After World War II, the vast fortunes needed to finance these huge boats had largely vanished on both sides of the Atlantic. Both the British and the Americans were looking to choose an alternative to the large expensive pre-war yachts of previous America’s Cup races. In 1956 the New York Yacht Club, trustee of the America’s Cup, petitioned the Court of New York State to modify the Deed of Gift.

In doing so, they cancelled the clause that obligated America’s Cup challengers to cross the ocean in the boat they intended to race. Enter the era of the 12 Metre Class, smaller, more manageable racers, in America’s Cup racing. The 12 Meters: In 1958, after a twenty-one year halt of America’s Cup competition, racing continued with a new class of racers, 12 Meters. During this era of the America’s Cup, American syndicates continued to win the America’s Cup with the wooden 12 Meters, Columbia, Weatherly, Constellation and Intrepid twice. In 1974, aluminum 12 Meters began racing in the America’s Cup and the American team subsequently won the America’s Cup with Courageous twice and Freedom. The End of the American Streak: During the 19th and 20th centuries American yachts and sailors dominated and successfully defended the America’s Cup 24 times and created what is still today the longest winning streak in the history of organized sports.

However, on the waters off Newport, Rhode Island in 1983, the Royal Perth Yacht Club’s challenger, Australia II (12 Meter KA-6), devastated the New York Yacht Club’s defender Liberty (12 Meter US-40), skippered by Dennis Conner, by winning the America’s Cup and ending the New York Yacht Club’s 132 year winning streak. Although this defeat was devastating to the United States and the New York Yacht Club it would not be the last time that Dennis Conner would race in the America’s Cup. Four years later in 1987, the world saw the largest group of 12 Meters in the history of the America’s Cup. Over twenty-five of the multimillion dollar 12 Meter racing machines were designed and built to compete in the America’s Cup trials. Conner, then already a two time winner of the America’s Cup but more famous for being the only American sailor to ever lose the America’s Cup, staged a remarkable comeback winning the America’s Cup under the San Diego Yacht Club with his Stars & Stripes ‘87 (12 Meter US 55).

Conner demolished the Australian defender Kookaburra III (12 Meter KA-15), winning the America’s Cup finals seven race series 4-0 and, therefore, reproving his racing capabilities to the world. This marked the last America’s Cup in which the graceful twelve meter yachts would sail. The Infamous Catamaran Defense: The San Diego Yacht Club defended the America’s Cup three times after Conner’s 1987 win before losing it the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron in 1995. In 1988, one of the most famous America’s Cup competitions took place off the waters of San Diego, California. An America’s Cup that would, unfortunately, begin and end in the court room instead of on the race course. Striking back to the New Zealand challenger, the 133 foot New Zealand (KZ-1), Conner and the American team designed a catamaran, Stars & Stripes ’88 (USA-1), to defend the 1988 America’s Cup. Stars & Stripes ’88 swept the three race series but the race committee decided that a catamaran was not eligible to race in the America’s Cup.

Conner and the Americans protested and the first America’s Cup defense by the San Diego Yacht Club, was finally settled in the courtroom long after racing had ended, declaring the catamaran, Stars & Stripes ’88, the winner of the 1988 America’s Cup but subsequently tarnishing the image of the America’s Cup. America’s Cup Racing Today: In 1992, after the end of the 12 Meter era and the debacle of the 1988 America’s Cup, the Deed of Gift was again modified and the International America’s Cup Class of yachts, IACC boats, was introduced as the new America’s Cup racers. The IACC boats are longer, lighter and have about twice as much sail area than the previous America’s Cup 12 Meter racers. This is the class of boats that currently races in the America’s Cup. Today the America’s Cup remains the premier challenge of yachtsmen. The best of the best in sailing from around the world have battled to gain what has become the greatest prize in yachting.

While the America’s Cup prize, a solid silver trophy standing twenty-seven inches tall, is magnificent in its own right, there is no cash prize awarded to the winner of the America’s Cup. However, racing teams spend tens of millions of dollars to either defend or challenge for the America’s Cup and prove their technological supremacy in yacht racing. The only prize for the multi-million dollar syndicate that wins the America’s Cup is fame and, of course, the glory of bringing the America’s Cup and the next races to their country and their names engraved on the perpetual Auld Mug! In the winter of 2002-2003, in New Zealand, the 31st America’s Cup was held. After their second America’s Cup victory in 2000, New Zealand become the second country after the United States to successfully defend the America’s Cup. In unpredictable, America’s Cup sailing fashion the Swiss powerhouse, Team Alinghi, lead by New Zealander Russell Coutts upset the New Zealand favorites by sweeping the nine race series, 5-0, and winning the 2003 America’s Cup. The 32nd America’s Cup was hosted by Switzerland’s team Alinghi in Valencia, Spain.

On July 3, 2007 team Alinghi defeated Emirates Team New Zealand by one second in the thrilling seventh race of the America’s Cup series. This race sealed Team Alinghi’s, 5-2 victory over New Zealand, making them successful defenders of the 32nd America’s Cup. Just two days after their America’s Cup victory Team Alinghi, began planning the next edition of the Auld Mug. They immediately accepted a challenge from Club Náutico Español de Vela (CNEV) a Spanish challenger formed expressly for the purpose of keeping the regatta in Valencia. Larry Ellison and Team BMW/Oracle of The Golden Gate Yacht Club (GGYC) filed its own challenge for the Cup and then filed a court case asking that CNEV be removed as Challenger of Record as being unqualified under the Deed of Gift. GGYC also asked that it be named as the rightful Challenger of Record, being the first club to file a conforming challenge. The litigation leading up to the match included which club would be the challenger, the dates and venue for the regattas, certain rules governing the regattas (in particular the measurement rules), and the construction of the boats.

There followed a long legal battle with the New York Court of Appeals finally deciding on April 2, 2009, that CNEV did not qualify as a valid challenger, and that the GGYC was thus the rightful Challenger of Record. The 33rd America’s Cup between Société Nautique de Genève defending with Team Alinghi against Golden Gate Yacht Club, began on February 6, 2010. Since the two parties were unable to agree otherwise, the match took place as a one-on-one Deed of Gift match in gigantic, specialized multi-hull racing yachts with no other clubs or teams participating. The Golden Gate Yacht Club won the match 2-0 as their yacht USA 17 powered by a rigid wing-sail proved to be significantly faster than Société Nautique de Genève’s yacht Alinghi 5. The American team, founded ten years ago by software mogul, Larry Ellison, achieved its ultimate goal when they powered across the finish line of Race 2 with a margin of 5 minutes and 26 seconds to defeat the Swiss Defender’s Alinghi 2-0.

BMW ORACLE Racing become the first American team to win the America’s Cup since 1992 when America3 defeated Il Moro de Venezia off San Diego. San Francisco’s Golden Gate Yacht Club become the 28th American defender of the America’s Cup. Russell Coutts, CEO of BMW ORACLE Racing, has now won the America’s Cup four times, twice with his native New Zealand, once at the helm of the Swiss Alinghi team and now masterminding the success of Ellison’s American team. The 34th America’s Cup between the defending ORACLE TEAM USA, representing the Golden Gate Yacht Club, and Emirates Team New Zealand, representing the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron, began on September 7, 2013 in San Francisco, California. This America’s Cup was raced aboard AC72’s, 86 foot catamarans, with a wing sail. The finals were in a format where the first team to nine points would win. Oracle Team USA began the series by being penalized its first two victories by the International Jury.

The jury found the team guilty of cheating in the 2012 America’s Cup World Series when they placed bags of lead pellets in their 45-foot catamarans to add additional weight outside of allowed areas. The 34th America’s Cup was the longest ever Cup series by both number of days and races. It was also the first since the 25th America’s Cup in 1983 (the last America’s Cup to be held in Newport, Rhode Island) to feature a winner-take-all final race. In the 19th and final race, Oracle Team USA defended the 34rd America’s Cup by a score of 9 to 8. Oracle had to win the last eight races and come from behind to, once again, win the oldest trophy in international sport, making it the most dramatic comeback in America’s Cup history! For all the latest information on the 33rd America’s Cup visit the official America’s Cup website – Pages: Next page Guest Comments “Great crew – informative and laid back. They handled our crowd really well – ranging in age from 13 to 75.

There was something for everyone – it was a really memorable Newport experience!” How to Win the America’s Cup | Fairmont Hotels How the America’s Cup is won and lost The greatest race of all time The America’s Cup is the oldest trophy in international sport. Since 1851, two teams of elite sailors have battled for boating’s most prestigious prize every few years. Somewhere between Formula One and chess - with the added unpredictability of wind and water - each America’s Cup sees the previous winner defend the cup against a challenging team in a series of head-to-head races.With campaigns costing millions of dollars, failure is not an option. Overcoming the odds The odds are stacked against the challenger from the start; the defender gets to pick where and when the next race is held and what type of boat is used. Only 6 out of 34 Cups (18%) have been won by the challenging club. Nations that have won the Cup: USA: 29 wins Luna Rossa and Team Australia have since withdrawn their challenges. The Backstory Oracle came back from 8-1 down in 2013’s Americas Cup in one of the greatest comebacks in sporting history.

After losing four of the first five races, Oracle called a timeout and replaced their tactician with British Olympian Sir Ben Ainslie to overturn the deficit. One year later, Ainslie announced to the world his plan to bring the America’s Cup back to Britain for the first time ever, launching Ben Ainslie Racing to compete for the 35th America’s Cup, taking place in 2017. The role of technology Cutting-edge technology has been at the heart of the America’s Cup since its inception and in the most cases, the Cup is won by the team with the fastest boat. Technology Timeline 1899: The 11th America’s Cup is captured on camera by Thomas Edison. 1956: Less expensive 12-meter yachts are introduced to reignite interest in the Cup and end a 19-year gap. 1983: Australia II is the first boat to use a fin-like winged keel to be as light and steady as possible when sailing upwind. 1986: New Zealand Challenge’s KZ-7 monohull – nicknamed ‘Plastic Fantastic’ – replaces the traditional wood or aluminium hull with light- weight fibre-glass.

1987: The British-built Blue Arrow is the first foil-assisted boat. 1992: Helicopters are used to capture steady aerial shots for television coverage. 2010: Oracle’s USA-17 features a rigid 223ft wing sail made from carbon fiber rather than a traditional cloth sail that looked – and functioned – like an upright airplane wing. 2013: Foiling 72ft catamarans boost the top speed of previous races from around 20 mph to more than 55 mph. The boat 'flies' one meter above water 10-15% speed increase by minimizing drag Flying yachts Today’s high-speed catamarans – consisting of two parallel hulls – are notoriously difficult to handle. The boats are lifted above the water by a carbon fibre fin about the size of a surfboard – known as a foil – as soon as they pick up enough speed. This gives the illusion that the boats are flying. In the last America’s Cup, both teams experimented with foiling upwind – as well as downwind – to maintain maximum speed.

Oracle's Innovations The AC72 catamaran built by Oracle for 2013 was the fastest boat the America’s Cup had ever seen, reaching top speeds of 55 mph, which is approximately 2.8x faster than the wind. 3,000 variables ran at 10 times a second while sailing. 300+ sensors collected performance data and transmitted it to a server in the hull. 200 gigabytes of video footage pulled from the boat each day. 150 key parameters transmitted in real-time to a database on the chase boat. Four-man crew dedicated to real-time data analysis. Up to 30 devices worn by crew members to receive performance data. Custom software used to package historical race data for analysis. The billionaire’s boat race Consecutive wins by Oracle – funded by Larry Ellison, the fifth richest person in the world – in 2010 and 2013 would suggest that the America’s Cup is won by the team with the biggest budget. However, changes to the rules for the next event should see the emphasis return to tactics and sailing skills.

The AC62 boat (named after its 62ft length) was initially chosen by Oracle for 2017, but a change was made in April 2015 in favour of the smaller – and cheaper – AC48 in an attempt to democratise the event and encourage more entrants. “Our aim is to develop the Cup from a rich man’s sport to a sustainable grand prix event” - Jimmy Spithill, captain of Oracle. Whereas Oracle executives admitted to spending $115 million on winning the America’s Cup (some media speculation goes as high as $300 million), Franck Cammas, the captain of Team France told Yachting World that he thought it would be possible to challenge for the Cup with a budget of €15-€20 million ($16.7-$22.3 million). However, despite costing a fraction of the price, the AC62 is still expected to reach the same speeds as the AC72s used in 2013.

For the America’s Cup World Series – which takes place is locations such as Portsmouth, UK; Gothenburg, Sweden; and Hamilton, Bermuda – teams will race in AC45s, which are shorter still. Requirements for the AC48: Two hulls connected by cross structure and arranged symmetrically about the yacht centerplane One wing and no more than one jib Requirements for each hull: Estimated amount spent by Oracle in 2013: $115 million according to Oracle executives. $250-$300 estimated in the media. $10+ million spent on building the Cup-winning boat. $300,000: Annual salary for a low-ranking sailor Estimated budgets for challenging teams in 2013: $140 million: Artemis Racing $100 million: Emirates Team NZ $85 million: Luna Rossa Challenger How does spending in the America’s Cup compare to other sports? Formula One: $400 million spent by Ferrari in 2013. Soccer: $310 million spent by Manchester City on player salaries in 2013.

NFL: $146 million spent by Miami Dolphins in 2013 free agency period. Basketball: $99 million spent by LA Lakers in 2012-13 wage bill. NASCAR: $20-$40 million estimated budget for a top team. Outside Influencers The competing teams in the 2017 race have partnered with some of the world’s most famous manufacturers from the aerospace and automobile industries. Artemis Racing is working with the likes of Altair and Cosworth; Oracle made headlines by announcing a partnership with Airbus; Emirates Team NZ is sponsored by Emirates and Toyota; and perhaps most interestingly Ben Ainslie Racing is backed by Land Rover - as well as Red Bull Advanced Technologies - which was seen as something of a coup by the sailing press. Furthering the sport's links with Formula One, Ainslie also hired Martin Whitmarsh, former CEO of McLaren Racing, as CEO. Tactics and Talent The America’s Cup is much more than a technological arms race. Each team assembles the best crew they can afford and constructs precise ‘playbooks’ full of chess-like tactics for every situation.

Faster than the wind Sailors travel faster than the wind using the physics that allow an airplane to fly. When sailing upwind, the boat can cut through the true wind at an angle – using a technique known as tacking – to create a powerful force. They use both natural or ‘true’ wind, which pushes the boat, and the ‘apparent’ wind created by the boat’s movement, which pulls it. Turning the boat There is no way to take down a wind sail, so every person on the team must work together to turn the boat when tacking. Turning the boat at high-speed is very difficult - a small mistake from a crew member could cause the boat to capsize. Crew members – known as grinders – turn hand-cranks to power the system that moves the sail. Other members pull ropes to adjust the angle of the boat. The captain spins the helm at the exact right moment. All sailors then rush from one hull to the other across a large trampoline netting. Getting the angles right Sailors turn the boat at a roughly 45 degree angle to the wind.

What to look forward to in 2017 It is said that Oracle’s Larry Ellison wanted to reinvent the America’s Cup as an extreme sport and that is precisely what he’s done. Purists will tell you that moving away from the majestic monohulls that made previous Cups such a spectacle has cost the sport its soul, but you won’t find a more riveting race than the one that took the world by storm in 2013. Could we see the same levels of drama in Bermuda? The chance to watch the world’s best sailors wage gravity-defying war on water is something you won’t want to miss.

Question: In which sport did teams first compete for the America's Cup today in August, 1851?
Answer: Yachting